


Disney Charity Disaster

by NerdWhoSaysNi



Series: Marvel Oneshots [5]
Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Bombing, Disney, F/M, Gen, Marvel Universe, Multi, Party, Post-Battle of New York (Marvel), charity - Freeform, gala - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 06:32:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16529267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdWhoSaysNi/pseuds/NerdWhoSaysNi
Summary: Princesses can kick ass too.





	Disney Charity Disaster

Loki complained as Hal straightened the white shirt ruffles and stiff blue collar of his costume. “I feel ridiculous."

“You look ridiculous, mon ami.” Adam glanced over as he preened Brianna in a similar fashion and snorted a laugh. "Eighteenth century France does not wear well on you. And if you want it to be accurate, you will need a ponytail.” 

Loki shook his head and gave Haley a pleading look. “No. Please no more of this torture.” 

Hal shrugged and placed her hands on her fiancé’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, love, but it’s for charity. And it’s only one night. You’ll live.” She used a plain black hair tie to pull his hair into a low ponytail. “Besides, I think you look handsome.” After a brief kiss, she added, “You are my real life Prince Charming, you know, and you make me feel like I’m living a fairytale everyday.”

“Actually, he’s Prince Adam,” Saph corrected as she strode past. 

“Actually, you all are so gross,” Brianna said. A scowl had fixed itself firmly to her face as Adam hummed a Disney tune and did her hair. “I swear if you sing one more song, I will rip out your throat.”

Adam smiled. “With your teeth please. You know how I would love for you to bite my neck.” 

In a nearby corner, Jace gagged. “Oh nasty. I’m going to be sick.”

“Me too. C’mon, guys,” Saph begged. “This is a children’s fund. Keep it rated G.” Saph had signed them all up to support the Make A Wish Foundation’s annual costume gala to help raise money for the children. The three couples were required to dress as Disney characters and mingle with other guests and play with the children. Sadly, Saph wasn’t able to go as Tiana the frog, so she went as Rapunzel instead. She had pinned her hair to look short and found a purple-pink gown with a corset and puffy sleeves. When she told Jace what they were doing, he was as excited as she was. He helped build his own costume as Eugene and even asked if they could dress Rosie and Stephen as Pascal and Maximus. She had told him a firm ‘no’, but when he pouted, she said maybe for Halloween. Her friends had not been quite so keen at first. Eager to do something kind, Adam agreed and made a marathon of all the movies with Brianna. After a little of Saph’s help, a convincing Hercules and Megara now stood before her. Wonderful. Hercules looked clueless and excited, and Meg looked as sullen and murderous as usual. 

“I’m going to stab you in the heel with a fork or something,” Bri vowed. 

“I believe that was Achilles, cherie. I am Hercules. Keep trying though.”

Turning, Saph surveyed Hal and Loki. Haley had been just as excited as she was, and it had taken her all of three seconds to know which character to be. For the night, Haley had used temporary coloring to make her hair brown and donned a yellow gown that was close enough in resemblance to Belle’s ball gown. Loki got dragged into the event as the Beast-turned-prince. 

“Everyone ready?” Saph asked once makeup was finished and general preening was done. “Alrighty, let’s go!” Marching confidently, she led the way to the street where they piled into a taxi. Bri took the shotgun seat to avoid sitting on Adam’s lap the way Saph sat on her husband’s and Hal sat on her fiancé’s. “To the gala,” Saph told the driver. 

“I thought so,” the man laughed, pulling into the intense traffic. “You’d be crazy dressing like that and not going.”

“We’re crazy dressing like this and going.” Bri crossed her arms and sulked. “At least, Saph’s really crazy.”

“You agreed to do this, cherie. That’s makes you really crazy too,” Adam reminded her. 

“Shut up or I’ll come back there and poke your eyes out.”

“Horai. Not Hercules.”

The drive wasn’t long, but they knew there would be traffic and planned ahead accordingly so when they arrived, they were on time. A five star hotel on the upper east side had volunteered it’s lobby, restaurant, and ballroom for the event. Tall candelabras stood in the corners and opposite the wall of windows that overlooked the water so that the reflections worked to illuminate the room. Crystal chandeliers suspended impossibly high above their heads cast overlapping circles of golden light on the marble floor that had been polished to surpass a mirror. While Saph’s jaw hung slack as she stared at everything, Hal, Loki, and Adam just smiled. 

“This is cute compared to the least of the rooms in Asgard’s palace,” Loki whispered. 

Adam nodded. “C’est belle, but Versailles is grander by far.”

They joined the other costumed guests in the more modest restaurant for dinner where a soft version of ‘Be Our Guest’ played on the speakers. Since the night had begun, they had to be in character. Saph didn’t have to work too hard to act excited, energized, and talkative. She took her seat before Jace could pull it out for her, and Jace sat beside her more calmly. Bri ignored Adam’s gentlemanly offers and began bickering quietly as they ate. Loki didn’t have to act for his role either. He pulled a chair out for his fiancée and resumed all the princely manners he used on Asgard. Their food came in courses, first with soups and salads, then a selection of entrées, then dessert and fruit, cheese, and wine. 

“Why is this stuff grey?” Bri hissed, poking her dessert with her fork.

“Mm, it’s delicious,” Saph mumbled through a mouthful of her dessert. “Just eat it.”

Skeptical, Hal cut her grey stuff in half. Melty black chocolate spilled onto the plate from inside a red velvet creation covered in grey frosting. “Ooh, it looks good.”

When they finished eating, Loki reached under the table for Haley’s hand. “Darling, would you care to dance? I believe I hear music.”

“I would love to dance." She folded her napkin and placed it on the table beside her plate. Loki stood and pulled out her chair before offering his arm. Accepting it like a proper princess, she let Loki lead them to the ballroom where a string quartet was already playing and a few other costumed couples stepped gracefully together. A woman dressed like Aurora swept along with her prince, her pink dress swishing and swirling. “You’ll forgive me if I’m a little out of practice?” she whispered. 

“Of course. You’ll forgive me if I step on your toes?”

“Always.” 

Loki took her hand in his as she adjusted the skirts of her dress and gathered an appropriate handful. When his other hand found her waist, she blushed. “Did you think of something, love?” he teased, beginning to slowly step with the end of the waltz. 

“Nothing like what you think,” she said, trying to give him a serious, scolding look, but failing to hide her smirk. “I just realized, the next time we dance like this, will probably be our wedding.”

“And I am unspeakably excited.” He gave her a twirl and pulled her back against him. “We finally have your father’s approval, Odin has agreed to have the ceremony on Asgard, and we will be married before the end of the year. I could not be happier.”

She rested her forehead on his shoulder and smiled wistfully. “I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy.” If she had seen his eyes then, she may have been surprised to see them glassy with tears. Loki blinked away his overflowing emotions and held her closer. 

“Hey, lovebirds,” Saph hissed, breaking into their sweet moment. “You guys realize this is a quadrille right? A fast dance? And you’re kind of just standing there, swaying and being cute? If you aren’t going to dance, go play with the kids. They’d love it.”

As Jace and Saph danced away, Loki led Haley to the side. While they were dancing, the kids had arrived from the hospitals around the city. Some were dressed in costumes, but many were in sweatpants and sweaters and oversized jeans or wrapped in blankets. Many wore hats, some used wheelchairs, and a few small girls hugged stuffed animals. Kneeling down, Haley began going down the line, talking, asking for names, giving hugs, smiling sweetly, and acting as much like a princess as she could. Loki stood awkwardly behind her until she pulled him forward and he knelt beside her.

"This is Jemma," she told him, gesturing to the young girl in front of her. Jemma was maybe three or four with big blue eyes and a bigger smile. Her ears and head were covered in a fuzzy purple hat that matched the Disney castle tshirt she wore. 

Jemma turned her smile to Loki and said, "I'm Jemma and I have os-steo-shark-o-ma." When he didn't understand, she proudly held up a hand with two amputated fingers. "But I'm getting better." 

Sadness passed briefly over his face before he took her hand and lightly kissed her knuckles. Giggling, Jemma smiled back at Hal. "That's what princes do! Are you a real prince?" Her eyes grew even larger as she stared at Loki's reddening face. 

"I am," he admitted. 

Turning back to Haley, Jemma whispered loudly, "I like him. He's nice."

"I like him too," Haley whispered loudly back. 

When he realized that children weren't as scary as they looked, Loki joined Hal going down the line to talk with the kids. Together, they reached a girl who didn't seem as engaged in the event as the others. She was dressed in jeans a size too big and an old black Aerosmith tshirt and black hoodie unzipped. Her head was buzzed, but she had little sparkly skull earrings in each ear. As soon as she spotted Hal and Loki, her frown deepened. 

Loki knew Hal would take it as a personal challenge to cheer this girl up. "Hi, what's your name?" Haley asked. 

"Andi."

"How old are you?" Hal would have guessed twelve.

"Too old to be here," she grumped. 

Hal was momentarily surprised and Loki wished she would move on, but he was out of luck. "If you're too old to be here, then we're definitely too old to be here," she tried to joke. For support, she motioned Loki closer and reached for his hand. When he stood beside her, he noticed how Andi's eyes narrowed and began to scrutinize him. 

"What are /you/ doing here?" she snapped. "You're the alien, the monster."

Hal placed a light hand on her fiancé's shoulder. "The beast," she told him quietly. "From the movie."

Andi shook her head and stepped forward, removing her hands from her pockets to point an accusatory finger in his face. "No. You are. You're the guy from the news. The one that brought aliens into the city and tried to flatten us! You killed my mom!" 

Haley immediately tried to read his face. She had never seen such raw horror, regret, pain, sadness, and fear. Backing up and standing, Hal spread her hand on Loki's chest to get his attention. She could feel his heart pounding and breathing quicken. "Loki, listen to me."

"Hal, I killed her mom."

"No, you didn't-"

"I'm responsible for that."

"No, you're not."

"You don't get it," he hissed as she pulled him away to an empty corner. “Hundreds of lives- gone- because of me, because of what I did. I’m not innocent. I know what you’re going to say, that I was being controlled and didn’t have a choice, but I didn’t even fight back. I could have. But I chose to murder and destroy and hurt people. This city, these people, the families- they’ll never forgive me. I should pay with my life for what I’ve done. You can never understand that."

Hal grabbed his hand and lowered her voice. “Do you know how many lives I’m responsible for? How many soldiers I watched die in the tower while I was a nurse? Do you have any idea how many mothers I had to call and tell them their sons would never come home? Three hundred forty-five. I have a list of their names, their ages, their ranks. I’ll never forget the faces staring at me and pleading for some kind of relief, begging to see their wives or children or parents, their hands grasping at my sleeves as these grown men weep in pain and despair. Don’t you think I’m haunted too? I’m not innocent either and I know I could have done more too, and I regret so much of those years. Countless nights I hear their voices in nightmares and they’re always there. That shame and regret will never leave me.” Hal could see realization dawning in his panicked eyes. 

“I’m so sorry, love,” he apologized. “I never knew.”

“I never told anyone because saying it out loud makes it real. And as much as you don’t want to hear the words that girl just said, every time you do, you already believed them. I can see it in your face. You believe what she said is true, but you didn’t want to hear it out loud because that makes it concrete. But I know you believe me too when I say that I love you and when I say that you are not a monster. You’re not a beast. You’re a prince- my prince. I know who you’ve been and who you are and I see who you’re becoming. And I love you and always will. I’m not marrying a perfect person, and I never would. I love you with all your history and scars and flaws because they’re stories that taught you something valuable or represent little victories.” She traced one fingertip over the scars left when thieving dwarves sewed his lips shut. “Words are not final. Words are just as transient as events and mistakes and stories. They’re not what we believe, necessarily, but they scare us because they are a manifestation of what we believe. Who you are is a living, breathing person, and you change and grow like every other living thing. Who you once were is not who you are. You don’t have to believe what that girl said. You can choose to believe that you are a new person. Because that’s what I think and that’s what I’m telling you. We’re getting married in a matter of months, and by that time, I need you to trust me and what I’m saying because it’s true. I would never lie to you. But it isn’t enough for me to believe it. You have to as well.”

Loki stared at her, dumbfounded. “It will take time… but I promise to try.”

Haley’s stern manner melted and was replaced with a small smile. “Thank you, love.” 

Loki gave himself time for a few deep breaths to calm down before he lifted her hand and began to slowly spread her fingers. “Since we’re alone for now, I should mention. You should be more careful when you talk about my scars.”

Confused, she asked, “Why’s that?” 

“Because you have this odd habit of impulsively touching whatever scar you’re talking about.” He folded down her fingers until the one that had traced the small pinpricks of tissue was left. Lifting her hand, he lightly kissed the pad of her finger and delighted in the little shiver he watched pass through her. “And you know what your touch can do to me.”

Checking over her shoulder to make sure they weren’t being missed, Haley stepped toe to toe with her fiancé. “I promise to keep my hands to myself for the remainder of the evening if you promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“When we get home, will you tell me some stories? About your scars?” 

Loki knew he had just sold his soul to the most beautiful devil, but he nodded. “Of course. But you must behave until we're alone." 

He bent to kiss her, but she turned her face away. "Nuh uh uh. We're behaving now. Remember?”

As Loki settled for holding her hand, they returned to the activities of the gala. Now that Saph and Jace were entertaining the kids, they were free to dance for a few songs, talk quietly to the side, and dance again. When Hal stepped on her fiancé’s toes a few too many times, they decided to stop and talk again. Brianna and Adam had been standing near a wall for some time not engaging with the children or dancing. Hal realized they were arguing as they got closer. 

“Brianna, please. They’re children. They’re the reason we’re here,” Adam begged.

“I’m here because Saph volunteered me to be here.”

“This is a fundraiser, it’s a party, you’re obligated to have a good time. Cherie, at least fake like you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I’m staying in character.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Ah yes, and I assume you’ll also break into song any moment declaring your love for me.”

“Go jump off a cliff.”

“Ino. Not Hercules. You’re getting closer though.”

Haley chose that moment as a good time to interrupt. “What are you guys doing? You should be having fun and playing with the kids. Adam, the boys would love to see you and talk to you.” 

“Oui, je sais. I know. Brianna refuses to go near the children. She also refuses to dance.” 

“Then leave her here to be miserable and go be Hercules.” She gave him a little shove and waited until he walked away. “Bri, you can’t sulk here forever.”

“Watch me.”

“Nope. Because you’re going to go see those kids.” Before she could protest, Hal kept talking. “I’ve talked to most of them already, and do you know how many told me they didn’t really like Disney movies as much as they like The Matrix or Men in Black or James Bond? Girls too. One girl even told me she once met Fury- she didn’t know it was him but she could describe him pretty well- and she said that’s who she wants to be. I believe her words were ‘If I live, I want to wear an eyepatch and funny coat and make bad people pay for hurting my friends and family.’ Bri, that’s what you do…almost. You need to talk to some of them. You would be their hero. Some of those kids need a reason to fight and you could give that to them. Give them something to look forward to in their futures. Remember how much your dad loves Cap? That’s how much some of those kids love you. They just don’t know you yet.” 

“But I look like…this. Not a SHIELD agent.”

“Tell them you’re undercover or something. Be creative.”

Grumbling, Bri stood up straight and left her spot on the wall. “Fine. But only a few. And if one snotty little kid makes me hug them, I’m done.” 

As she walked away, Hal heard the chattering of glass knocking together and felt a rumble in her legs. “What’s going on?” Loki shook his head, but his arm snaked around her waist. For a moment, there was stillness before a stronger tremor ripped through the building. She maintained her balance, but some of the kids had fallen over and some of the candles went out. No one spoke above a whisper. What was happening? Halfway between where she had been on the wall and the majority of the kids, Bri had drawn her gun and stood ready for an attack. When the floor shook again, the kids began to scatter. Saph scooped a girl in a Cinderella dress into her arms and Jace helped some boys off the marble. Adults scurried around, trying to corral the kids and keep them calm when some began to panic. 

“Is this an earthquake?” Loki asked, looking around in confusion. Between each tremor, utter stillness reigned. 

Haley thought for a moment before shaking her head. “It can’t be. The tremors are too short. This is timed.”

“Then what is it?”

His question was answered when a series of nearly simultaneous explosions caused parts of ceilings and walls to blow apart like fireworks. Hal stared in horror as a chandelier swung on its chain, gaining momentum, until a hunk of the ceiling fell and snapped the gold chain. The crystal chandelier plummeted downward and shattered on the marble. Glass and metal shards flew in every direction, ricocheting off pillars and walls and smashing windows. Glass rained around them. Kids began to scream and cry. Adam and Jace began to help herd the kids to safety, but Saph and Bri were running around finding the kids that ran and hid. Haley cursed as she pulled a piece of metal out of her shoulder and tossed it on the floor. “It’s bombs. They’re on a timer, they have to be. The first one was probably from a couple blocks over, the second from the block next to us, then ours. The next one will be in the next block and so on. We have to move and fast.” Loki nodded and kept his arm around her as they ran towards the others. 

Brianna passed a child with leg braces to Adam and turned to Hal. “Bombs. And lots of them. They’re strong too. This isn’t amateur work.” Saph ran past, bobby pins falling onto the floor and mixing with the glass and concrete. “The building might be unsound. We have to evacuate everyone.” 

“If you haven’t noticed, there’s kind of a giant hole in the ceiling,” Adam snapped. “Stairs will be dangerous and elevators have now become death traps.”

Bri nodded and tightened her ponytail. “Right. Here’s the plan. Saph, Hal, get the kids out of here as fast as possible and then start evacuating the rest of the building. Be quick about it. If people have to jump out windows, broken legs are better than lost lives. Adam, search the elevators and any backrooms, kitchens, cargo, service lifts, anything like that. Just get people out. Loki, Jace, you’re with me. We’re going to find out where the bombs were and what kind of damage there is. We need to know how much time we have and if there’s any delayed explosions or gas leaks or fires.” 

Everyone nodded and split up, but Loki grabbed Haley’s arm. Before he could say anything, she kissed him with a passion born of fear and adrenaline. “Be safe,” he breathed.

“You too. Remember, you promised to tell me stories tonight.”

He nodded. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

Haley held her skirts as she ran towards the kids and their chaperones. Acting calm, she started talking to the kids and leading them toward the nearest exit. Within seconds, Saph was beside her, doing the same. Just as the kids reached the lobby and Hal and Saph stood in the archway, a crack and rumble louder than any thunder Thor could conjure deafened them. A fissure opened in the ceiling and rained plaster and concrete. Another chandelier fell and shattered. Adam was at another exit and the trio opposite him headed towards the dining room when they heard a scream. Saph’s face drained of color until she was as white as the lace on her costume. “Help!” the voice screamed again. “I’m stuck! Someone help me! Please!” 

Haley's and Saph’s heads swiveled madly, looking for the voice, but they could see nothing among the rubble and debris and hunks of ceiling as large as small cars. From their right, Jace sprinted forwards. He zigzagged across the floor before he spotted the body belonging to the voice. As he ran, the wall of windows began to tremble, making the reflections ripple like disturbances in a pond. Jace sped up, leaping over the skeleton of the first chandelier and disappearing behind a block of ceiling. With an explosion as deadly as the bombs, the stressed windows collapsed. Glass sprayed into the ballroom. The voice screamed again. The entire wall crumpled. Like a poorly built gingerbread house, the ceiling slanted downward and more blocks of concrete began to fall. The marble floor began to crack and split. When the chunks of ceiling fell onto the marble, the shards of heavy white stone became a deadly forest. Somewhere in the mess, Jace’s voice repeated soothing words until the screaming stopped. 

“Gotcha,” Jace gasped. His running footsteps followed as he sprinted back through a new labyrinth of hazards. He appeared ten yards in front of Hal and Saph carrying a girl on his back. 

While Hal was focused on the girl and Jace, Saph saw what was going on around them. She screamed his name just as part of the ceiling dislodged and plummeted toward the ground. Jace had an instant to respond. He dove forward and let the girl roll off his back onto the ground at Saph’s feet. A half second later, the ceiling collapsed, blocking the doorway. Saph’s next scream wrenched Hal’s insides into knots and made her blood run cold. Haley needed to keep moving before she froze. She knelt beside the girl and picked her up. Clearly, one of her legs had been crushed, and the cloth of her pants clung to the blood on her skin. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” she tried to calm her down. “You’re safe now. It’s alright. Can you tell me your name?” As much as she didn’t want to leave Saph, she knew the girl needed a hospital before she went into shock. 

“Give her to me.” Adam held out his arms and took the girl from Hal. “The elevators and service lifts, backdoors, kitchens, and basement are empty. The staff were given tonight off except for those serving us and those are safely out back. EMTs are on their way and ambulances are coming. From what the staff has seen, we are in the middle of a five block coordinated bombing attack. The regular interval has passed, so it’s believed the bombings are done, but buildings are collapsing and structurally unsound. This is as well. The upper floors were empty, so only this floor needs to evacuate.”

Haley nodded. “Tell all of that to Bri. She needs to know.”

“Already done.”

“Then get this girl some help and come find me.” Adam nodded before disappearing with the girl. When she turned around to rejoin the kids, she saw Saph helping to move them along. Her face was hardened but streaked with tears and white marble dust. Haley wanted to hug her friend and wrap her in warm blankets and console her, but they had a job to do. Approaching the women who seemed to be the representative for the foundation, Haley noticed the suppressed panic in the woman’s eyes. “Ma’am, the upper floors are empty, but we have to evacuate.”

“Yes, I thought we were already doing that?” The woman shook her curls side to side in confusion. 

“We’re trying, but we don’t know how much time we have. Is there any way to get these kids out faster?”

“I- I don’t know. I don’t know if they can. I mean…the wheelchairs and crutches and some are exhausted. A few came from chemo this morning and should be in bed. I don’t know if they can move faster.” 

Suddenly, Brianna appeared beside them. “We need to get out. Now. The building is unsound and the slightest tremor could make the whole mess fall on top of us. Where’s Jace and Adam? I need them to come help me and Loki.”

Hal’s face fell. “Bri… Jace didn’t… isn’t… the ceiling.” She shook her head helplessly. 

Bri understood clearly, but the shock froze her for a moment. “Right. Go take care of Saph. I’ll find Adam. We’re looking for multiple exits, but the front of the building is demolished and the only way out seems to be the service exit. Go through the kitchens, down two flights of stairs, through the parking garage, and you’ll see the street. Hurry.”

“We can’t hurry.” Hal caught her arm when Bri tried to leave. “These kids are exhausted. Most of them can’t manage stairs. It’s like herding cats as it is just to get them to move in the right direction.”

Bri huffed and stared at the remnants of the ceiling to think. “I don’t know, I don’t know. Think of something!”

Haley held up her hands helplessly. 

“Stop wasting time,” Saph snapped at both of them. “Move! Get Adam and Loki, they’ll need to carry some of these children down the stairs. Jace is not going to have made a sacrifice in vain. Now either start acting, or so help me I will-“ 

She didn’t get to finish her threat. “Run!” Adam told them. Behind him, Loki was already carrying some of the smaller children that couldn’t move as fast while the ones that could run were grabbing friends and sprinting toward the kitchens. As they ran, the roof continued to collapse behind them like watching an elaborate display of toppling dominoes upside down. Haley and Saph each lifted a child who couldn’t run and followed the chaos of screaming children. Dust and flying glass made it difficult to see, but Hal was able to make out the blue of Loki’s costume. He led them through the kitchens and towards the stairs. The stampede of kids, helpers, and guests flooded down the stairs. When Hal reached the platform, she saw Loki standing there, pointing the kids in the right direction and helping the ones that slipped in their haste. She gave his hand three quick squeezes and continued down the stairs. Stopping at the bottom, she helped those who needed it and tried to keep track of who she saw pass her. As the flow of terrified children thinned, she realized which face she hadn’t seen. “Where’s Andi?” she shouted to Loki over the roar of the crumbling building. 

“Coming now.” He was watching the top staircase as the last few kids descended, followed by Adam, Bri, and Saph. Andi was among the kids. Hal watched as the girl hesitated and backed up to let Adam carry down a boy in a wheelchair. She hesitated again when Bri hopped over the railing and landed beside Haley. As she passed Loki, she shied away from him before starting down the stairs. Only a few steps down, a piece of the floor above them split and plummeted through the stairs. Andi fell backwards and began pedaling her feet to keep from sliding, but the stairs beneath her were crumbling. Haley was frozen. She couldn’t cross the gaping hole between them to catch the girl, but she could watch the surprise in her eyes turn into horrified realization. “Grab my hand,” Loki told the girl. He had gotten on his knees and stretched an arm toward her. Her wide eyes stared first at his hand, then at the blackness beneath her. “Don’t look down! Look at me!” He held out his other arm. “Grab my hand.” 

When Andi turned and reached hesitantly for his hand, another stair fell and she yelped. Swinging back around, she tried to scoot up a step, but each time she placed a foot down, the cement broke away. Within seconds, she would be holding herself up by her shaking arms alone. 

Diving forward, Loki wrapped his arms around the thin girl and hauled them both backwards onto the landing as the last stair crumbled. Soon the landing would fall too. He gave her a second to breathe before turning her to face him. “I’m going to throw you.” 

“What?!”

“Adam will catch you. You’ll be fine. You just have to trust me.” 

Adam had heard everything and was already standing at the foot of the stairs, his arms ready. 

“Ready?”

“Wait, no!” 

Loki scooped up the kicking, flailing girl. “One, two, three!” On three, he tossed her down to Adam. As promised, Adam caught Andi and set her back on her feet. Loki measured the gap before backing against the wall and taking a running start. One of his heels clipped the edge, but Adam grabbed the ruffles of his costume and pulled him forward. 

Haley rushed forward and hugged him, but only for a half second. Loki was running again, dragging her along, following Adam and Andi. They reached the parking garage, but didn’t stop until they were on the street beside the ambulances and other emergency vehicles. “We’re safe,” Hal rasped, burying her face in her fiancé’s neck. He held her close and kissed the top of her head. “But Jace-“ For the first time, she let herself feel everything the adrenaline had suppressed and sobbed on his shoulder. 

“I know, love. I know.” He tried to rub her back soothingly but ended up picking glass and other shards out of her costume, skin, and hair. 

“Good to know I would have been missed.” 

Haley lifted her head and turned around slowly. “Jace?” He stood in front of her, bloodied, bruised, torn up, covered in grey dust, but alive. And smiling. Beside him, Saph held his hand and puttered over cleaning some of his scrapes. “How-? But-? What-?”

“You didn’t think I would just leave him, did you?” Saph said. “I ran back around front and climbed up the fire escape to the second story. There was no second story floor, so I got into the ballroom easily and was able to pick my way through the rubble and drag him out.”

“But the ceiling collapsed. We watched it happen!” 

Jace laughed before wincing. “It did. But I was extremely lucky. I ended up between two pieces of ceiling and floor that made a kind of cave for the ceiling to fall onto. I wasn’t crushed. Trapped, yeah, but alive.”

Saph took over the narrative. “Marble is really heavy but also pretty fragile. I just broke some of the marble enough for him to get out.” 

“How did you break the marble?”

“I found a hefty frying pan in the kitchen. Hit the stone a couple times and-“ She used her hands to mimic shattering stone. 

Hal finally released a long breath. “Well, I’m happy to know you’re safe. You should find an EMT too as soon as the kids are taken care of.” Jace and Saph nodded and walked away towards an ambulance. 

“Where are Brianna and Adam?” Loki asked. He searched the faces illuminated by red and blue lights until he spotted Bri talking to a police officer and Adam speaking with a journalist. “Let’s give them a moment. I think tragedies like these may reveal what’s important to them.” Hal didn’t know what he meant, but she was content to stand beside him while they waited. 

When Bri finished with the police, Adam excused himself from the journalist and met her halfway. They began arguing, talking over one another about some life-threatening, stupid risk the other had taken. “You could have died!” Adam said. 

“So what? At least I would have done some good. Your little glory trip was nothing but a blatant show of ego and fake heroism!” 

“How do you know it was fake? Maybe I was raised with morals. Maybe I consider self-sacrifice a necessity in situations like these.”

“What does that even mean? How can you say I have no morals? That’s disrespectful and I won’t let you speak to me like that.”

Adam decided he was done arguing. If he couldn’t speak to her like that, he wouldn’t speak at all. Instead, he placed one hand behind her head and kissed her. When Bri didn’t fight back immediately, Hal smiled and said to Loki, “I think she forgot she hates him.” He chuckled and nodded. 

The kiss lasted long enough that Hal began to wonder if the girl was actually Brianna. Just as she was about to look for the real Bri, her hand came up and slapped Adam. Blinking rapidly, Bri couldn’t hide the surprisingly pleased expression in her eyes. “Next time, if you’re going to take a risk, don’t die without telling me first, okay?” She did her best to sound angry, but Adam clearly didn’t believe it. A devious smile grew across his face, and he reached out for Bri’s waist. Slapping his hand away, she spat, “Oh go get struck by lightning.”

Adam cringed. “Still not Hercules,” he mumbled. 

Haley watched Bri storm off when a voce distracted her. Andi slowly approached Loki and stood in front of him, staring at her feet. “Thank you…. for saving my life. And… I owe you an apology. I’m sorry I called you a monster. And I’m sorry… I accused you of killing my mom.” She looked up and began scuffing one shoe back and forth on the pavement. “Someone who saves lives isn’t the same as someone who kills.” After a brief hesitation, she gave Loki a hug. Taken aback, Loki only hugged her back for a few seconds before she ran off. 

“There was always a sweetheart in her somewhere,” Hal said. Smiling, she leaned into Loki’s embrace and let him walk them towards the others. 

They each gave their statements to the police, dismissed journalists, refused interviews, and finally crawled into a cab to go home. This time, Bri had no qualms about sitting on Adam’s lap and even dozed off with her head on his shoulder. Saph and Jace cuddled each other protectively, still clearly shocked by the events of the night. When they arrived at the tower, Adam carried Bri up to her room, Saph and Jace disappeared to the twins’ room, and Hal and Loki agreed to go to sleep. 

They both took long, hot showers and helped each other clean cuts and scrapes. At last, they curled up under the blankets. “Loki?” Hal whispered. She could see he was still awake and knew the same traces of adrenaline that kept her from sleeping were probably stopping him from sleeping too. “Would you hate telling me a story?’ She traced her finger over a scar under his jaw before kissing it lightly. 

“Of course not, darling.” He held her closer and began quietly retelling a story. When he felt her breathing settle, he ended the story by kissing her forehead and letting himself fall asleep.


End file.
